Ahead of the second round of peace talks with Palestinians under US mediation, Israel on Sunday announced plans to build nearly 1,200 Jewish settler homes in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Housing and Construction Minister, Uri Ariel announced tenders for 1,187 new Jewish homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, an issue considered the main roadblock by the Palestinian Authority in efforts to renew peace negotiations. The move comes at a time when Israel is mulling over a goodwill gesture to rekindle peace talks involving the release of Palestinian prisoners held for decades.
Three days before the second round of peace talks scheduled to begin in Jerusalem under US mediation, Israel’s Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel on Sunday announced that new apartments in Jerusalem and the West Bank are up for sale. According to the Housing and Construction ministry, 793 of the new homes will be in Jewish neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem.It includes 400 new units in Gilo, 210 in Har Homa and 183 in Pisgat Ze’ev.
In addition, Israel plans to publish tenders for 394 new homes in West Bank settlement blocs that it believes it will retain in any final status agreement with the Palestinians. This includes 117 new homes for the Ariel settlement, 149 for the Efrat settlement, 92 for the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement and 36 for the Beit Illit settlement.